Charles W. Robinson

For other people named Charles Robinson, see Charles Robinson (disambiguation).
Charles W. Robinson
United States Deputy Secretary of State
In office
April 9, 1976  January 20, 1977
President Gerald Ford
Preceded by Robert S. Ingersoll
Succeeded by Warren Christopher
Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
In office
January 3, 1975  April 9, 1976
President Gerald Ford
Preceded by George Wildman Ball
Succeeded by William D. Rogers
Personal details
Born Charles Wesley Robinson
(1919-09-07)September 7, 1919
Long Beach, California
Died May 20, 2014(2014-05-20) (aged 94)
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Spouse(s) Tamara Lindovna (m. 1957; his death 2014)
Education

Charles Wesley Robinson (September 7, 1919 – May 20, 2014) was an American entrepreneur who was involved with many successful business adventures in the mining and shipping industry. He also served as United States Deputy Secretary of State.[1] He was president of CBTF Co and M Ship Co., a board member of Nike and Chairman of Nike’s Finance Committee.

Biography

Robinson was born in Long Beach, California and spent his early years on a ranch overlooking the Antelope Valley in the Western Mojave Desert. He received his bachelor's degree cum laude in international economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1941. After graduating from a 90-day engineering program at the United States Naval Academy in May 1942, he stayed on as an instructor for another year.

He then received an assignment to the heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and spent nearly two years on the treacherous Murmansk run. The young lieutenant found himself in charge of the main engine division on the ship during the D-Day landing of Normandy, during which the Tuscaloosa engaged in a long battle with a German battery (reported by the Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ira Wolfert in the August 1944 issue of Readers Digest).

After further duty in the Pacific at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, in February 1946, Robinson had earned enough points to be discharged from the Navy and left for Palo Alto, California to enter the Stanford University Business School. He graduated with a business degree through an accelerated program in May 1947.

He died on May 20, 2014, aged 94, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Timeline

Boards and other organizations

Family

Robinson has been married since 1957 to Mara (Lindovna) Robinson, who was a founder of the Opera-West Company in San Francisco in the 1950s and was active in the 60’s in trying to dissolve racial barriers. She has served on many boards including the San Francisco Opera Company, St. John's College and the Save Venice Inc. They have three daughters Heather L. Robinson (b. 1957), Lisa A. Robinson (b. 1959) and Wendy P. Robinson (b. 1962).

References

  1. Smith, Craig (21 May 2014). "Charles W. Robinson, 1919-2014: Businessman, diplomat delighted in taking risks". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

Further reading

Uncharted Seas. Autobiography written by Charles W. Robinson with Don J. Usner

Quotes

If I knew ahead of time, it wouldn’t be any fun”—Reply in response to a San Francisco Business magazine reporter’s question in 1974 as to what Robinson thought he would accomplish in the job of Under-Secretary of State.

Management by self-induced crisis”—Robinson’s description of his business style.

"No one who has any self-doubts would ever wear a bow-tie"—Robinson quoted in a New York Times article April 22, 1979 on the returning fashion of bow-ties (Robinson has always worn a bow tie)

Government offices
Preceded by
George Wildman Ball
Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
January 3, 1975 April 9, 1976
Succeeded by
William D. Rogers
Preceded by
Robert S. Ingersoll
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
April 9, 1976 January 20, 1977
Succeeded by
Warren Christopher
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